Evocative and Beautiful Journey Through Italy

Piedmont is the region of Italy that my family and I live in. We believe it to be the most beautiful region of Italy and one of the most beautiful and magical places on earth.

Perhaps fortunately it remains a region that is little discovered by tourists – both foreign and Italian. Here is a region where you will have the little square and alleyways of medieval hill towns all to your self, explore fabulous markets with only the locals for company and explore places that have remained relatively unchanged for centuries. Saluzzo and Montiglio are just two of the gems of this region awaiting discovery.

Many of my friends and family in the USA and UK ask me to describe this special corner of Italy to them and I do my best. However help is at hand – a beautiful book was published a few years ago that literally transports you to this part of Italy. It is a book that through words and photos helps you discover this region that I love so much.

Autumn in Piemonte: Food and Travels in Italy’s Northwest

An absolutely beautiful book, the author is both poet and cook, brilliantly evoking atmosphere and sharing Piedmont’s great recipes and food. The photos are exceptional and together with the passionate writing of the author they will have you longing to follow in her footsteps. I particularly loved the chapters on le Langhe and the one on the Gourmet University which must surely be unique. My favourite of this selection of books on Piedmont.

For more on this and other books and my insiders guide to Italy visit:

Evocative and Beautiful Journey Through Italy

Antiquarian Books

Do all used book stores carry Antiquarian books? What about rare books? What about out of print books?

What is an antiquarian book?

The antiquarian book trade in the United States is an aspect of book collecting and publishing. The term antiquarian, in general, refers to antiquities and collectible items usually considered old and rare, usually in reference to books, but not limited to books.

Well, sometimes that is open for debate, but usually anything from the 1920′s back could be considered antiquarian. But, it has to be a collectible book. What is a collectible book? Another good question. A collectible book is one that has proven the test of time, and is always in great demand, and creates a situation where the first printings become more valuable to book collectors.

John Steinbeck is a good example. Any of his books bring a premium if they are in first edition or even in second condition. However, a lot of people would consider this to be no more then a modern first edition.

So, books before the turn of the century, that are collectible, that have historic value, are considered for the most part to be antiquarian. Here is three examples.

Theodore Roosevelt. Autograph manuscript signed. 1918. Autograph manuscript draft of the essay, “The Great Adventure,” signed by Teddy Roosevelt. Handsomely framed with a contemporary broadside edition of the essay. $60,000.

FITZGERALD, F. Scott.Tender is the Night. New York, 1934. First edition, in scarce original first-issue dust jacket, boldly signed by Fitzgerald. A lovely, bright copy. $75,000

Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. Washington, 1863. First public notice of the December 8, 1863 Presidential proclamation offering amnesty to citizens of the Confederacy, providing they take an oath that they “will abide by and faithfully support all proclamations of the President made during the existing rebellion having reference to slaves” (i.e. the Emancipation Proclamation). $26,000

So, jump right in. Yes, it can get expensive, but there not printing anymore of these books so the investment is considered to good. However, great responsibility goes with a purchase like this.

Collectible books, and antiquarian books is a time consuming passion for those who want to invest. You can start very small and build a nice investment portfolio over a period of years.

Antiquarian Books

Building Muscle Quickly - Does Vince DelMonte's No Nonsense Muscle Building Bear Fruit?

I’m never usually too convinced by the outlandish claims made by most build muscle fast products. Usually – and I speak from bitter experience here – most are simply after making a quick buck by rehashing tired old techniques that you’ve probably tried anyway.

Vince Delmonte’s No Nonsense Muscle building doesn’t fit into this category. He attempts to shatter the myths perpetrated by bodybuilding magazines and nutritional supplement companies, both of whom have a vested interest in seeing you buy their products and as a result may be economical with the truth.

DelMonte realizes that the vast majority of men simply wish to look good on the beach or in a tight fitting shirt; they want to lose fat without weight loss and they want to know how to build a six pack fast. What most DON’T want is to have a neck that’s wider than their head, or biceps comparable with a soccer player’s thighs. Therefore, he concentrates on training you accordingly for this goal, rather than giving you ridiculously complicated, intense workouts designed for professional bodybuilders.

The author has a nickname for his No Nonsense Muscle Building Program – the “Skinny Guy Secret”. This is not to mean that only skinny guys will benefit from the program; rather, it means that the traditional downfall of the skinny person is difficulty in gaining muscle mass/mass building, which he addresses in great detail here. Rather than blaming your body’s natural genetic make-up for your lack of muscle gain and advising you not to expect too much, Vince explains comprehensively how your genetics are only partially responsible for your body shape; he shows how YOU are responsible for your body shape, both in the manner you exercise and nutritionally.

Nutrition is a huge part of the program. Vince emphasizes the importance of eating both sufficiently and often, and of course, eating the right foods. He downplays the importance of supplements, stating that the vast majority of what your body needs can come from a controlled diet, and at a fraction of the price of expensive powders and bars.

There are, of course, uncontrollable factors such as your metabolism which play a part in your ability to make muscle gains; however, DelMonte is insistent that positive thinking coupled with hard work will produce the results you desire, and shows you in detail how simple building muscle is when you know how to train your body correctly.

The core of the program is Vince’s “Nine Growth Principles” – basically, the 9 most important points you will need to follow to succeed. These are:

Top 14 Mistakes To Avoid Before You Even Begin Training – designed to prevent you immediately falling into any beginner bad habits.
The Top 12 Bodybuilding Myths – including the reasons why you should not worry about your genes.
How To Build Muscle – Heart of the entire program.
Recovery Methods – Accelerate Recovery - So that you can train more without wasting too much time recovering
Maximizing Hormones For Maximal Muscle Building & Fat Loss – This is one of the sections where No Nonsense muscle building scores more highly than other programs.
Massive Eating & Nutrition – a hugely important part of the program.
Making Sense of Supplementation – Use Them Wisely- To save you from wasting money on supplements.
Injury Prevention & Avoiding The Causes – self explanatory.
No Nonsense Maximum Muscle Growth Program – The complete training program.

In spite of all the excellent benefits there is still certainly a downside to the program (isn’t there always?!?!) For instance, I found the amount of time spent preparing the meals for Vince’s very important (and integral to the program) food regime was quite restrictive. Calories are carefully measured and everything takes time, which some people simply don’t have a lot of. I can’t really see a lawyer who works 10 or 12 hour days being able to follow the in-depth and detailed eating plans AND working out while simultaneously having some kind of a life!

In saying that however, it really is a minor quibble. The eating plans, if you can put the effort in, are fantastic. They show – brilliantly in my opinion – just how important diet is to building your perfect beach body. The system DOES work, and works well. I can attest to that personally, having packed on around 25 pounds of lean muscle myself since I bought the program; I can also confess that I haven’t followed it as rigidly as advised due to work constraints, so clearly, my results would be even better had I followed the program more strictly. It has helped me gain strength, showed me how to lose stomach fat, basically, all the things necessary to look how I want to look.

In addition, (and just in case you need some kind of proof) there are photos to document Vince’s transformation from a “scrawny 149 pound twerp” (his own words) to a ripped, muscular and lean 190 pound fitness model. He must be doing something right!

Overall, I think Vince DelMonte’s No Nonsense Muscle Building is a workable, achievable program that yields noticeable and rapid results, as long as you are prepared to put a reasonable amount of effort into it. It’s not simply a moneymaker for the author, unlike many other programs I have seen and tried; this program produces real results and is well worth trying. To my mind, the only thing you can lose is the body you’re not happy with, while saying hello to the body you want.

Building Muscle Quickly - Does Vince DelMonte's No Nonsense Muscle Building Bear Fruit?

NASB Bible Translation

The NASB Bible translation is a literal or word-for-word translation of the Bible’s original written languages Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. Since it’s publication in 1971 it has gained a reputation for it’s accuracy to the original texts. This may not seem like a significant thing to the modern reader, but the Bible has a long history of erroneous translations.

For centuries the Catholic church’s Latin Vulgate was the only other translation available which the church used for it’s liturgy and doctrinal rule. Other than the fact that only learned scholars and clergy could read the Latin Vulgate, it also had very inaccurate translations of the original Biblical texts.

Over the following centuries there were great attempts at translating the Bible accurately and in the modern, everyday language. The most popular was and is the King James Version which was publish in 1611 by the church of England. It was accurate and it was in the contemporary 17th century English. The NASB Bible translation comes out of that tradition of accuracy and use of modern English.

The NASB Bible translation evolved from the American Standard Version (ASV) which was published in 1901. And the ASV Bible was the American version of the 1885 English Revised Version in England. But between 1611 and 1885, there were no new widely used, modern English translations of the Bible.

It was a conservative evangelical response to the Revised Standard Version published in 1952, which was actually the authorized revision of the ASV. The controversy and the work on the NASB Bible translation resulted directly from the RSV translation of Isaiah 7:14. Isaiah 7:14 had always translated the word referring to the woman to give birth to the messiah as “virgin”. The RSV translated it “young woman” which evangelicals saw as an assault on the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ. Evangelicals cited other areas where the RSV took a liberal slant and thus began the work on the NASB Bible translation, funded by the Lockman Foundation.

Word-for-Word vs. Thought-for-Thought

The NASB Bible translation is a word-for-word transliteration of the Bible. This is alternatively to thought-for-thought translations like the popular NIV Bible. Although the literal translation is great for accuracy and doing word studies, it can lack sometimes in the are of understandability.

Anyone who is bilingual understands that sometimes things doing translate well when you try to convert from one language to another directly. In addition, there are sometimes idioms, expressions or figures of speech in one language that has no meaning in another language.

In an effort to quell this, thought-for-thought translations like the NIV Bible was published. Bible scholars take a phrase or a thought as it were, and interpret it for the reader, then translate what they think it means without being so concerned about using particular words or requiring themselves to have to include all the words.

1995 Updated Edition

The 1995 updated edition of the NASB includes some revisions to modernize the English vocabulary used. For example, they changed the ‘thy’ and ‘thee’. Overall, this revision improved this versions clarity and readability without violating the original meaning of the Greek and Hebrew words.

NASB Bible Translation

Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain - A Book Review

Remember the old bumper sticker that read, “Children are to be seen, and heard, and believed?” The theme of Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain by Douglas McDaniel could be described as, “The world is to be seen, and heard, and believed.”

Forty Days is neither fish nor fowl, neither political commentary nor poetry, but a semi-autobiographical blend of the two–and more–in classic Beat style. Beat, as in the style of mid-twentieth-century beatniks, as in Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Anne Waldman. This may seem a strange approach to a book subtitled “A living novel and borderline blog during the Bush years,” but it works for McDaniel. (If you’ve not yet been introduced to the Beat style of writing, you must experience it. Like jazz, it’s a unique window into the American soul.)

McDaniel describes the book thus: “…this extended narrative doesn’t dwell much on why such statements are true or prophetic. The chaotic swirls of observation, metaphor and paranoid theory, mixed in a somewhat linear manner and intensified by hyperlink, myth and caffeine-induced overdrive.” In the caffeinated mix are ruminations on William Blake, lost dogs, global warming, technology, the death of print journalism (all journalism, really, as McDaniel contends) and the salamander man who lives under the bed. The end result is a sort of twenty-first century Walden with Freudian puns.

Douglas McDaniel has authored the Mythville blog since 2004, sharing poetry and observations like those collected in Forty Days. He also edits the American Mythville Literary Review and has written more than ten other volumes, including Ginsberg Rolls Over, William Blake in Cyberspace, and Godz, Cars and Cannon.

You have no excuse not to read Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain, since McDaniel is giving the e-book away for free, and gives written permission for the book to be copied and shared with other readers. Contact him through his blog, on MySpace or on FaceBook.

Related Game Books

• Poetry by Thomas Kemp – Your Poet Is!


• Poetry by Thomas Kemp – Your Poet Is!


• Misquoting Jesus – Religious Book Review


• The Deviant – Book Review


• Book Review – Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O’Reilly


• Voice of Conscience – By: Behcet Kaya – Book Review

Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain - A Book Review

Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain - A Book Review

Remember the old bumper sticker that read, “Children are to be seen, and heard, and believed?” The theme of Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain by Douglas McDaniel could be described as, “The world is to be seen, and heard, and believed.”

Forty Days is neither fish nor fowl, neither political commentary nor poetry, but a semi-autobiographical blend of the two–and more–in classic Beat style. Beat, as in the style of mid-twentieth-century beatniks, as in Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Anne Waldman. This may seem a strange approach to a book subtitled “A living novel and borderline blog during the Bush years,” but it works for McDaniel. (If you’ve not yet been introduced to the Beat style of writing, you must experience it. Like jazz, it’s a unique window into the American soul.)

McDaniel describes the book thus: “…this extended narrative doesn’t dwell much on why such statements are true or prophetic. The chaotic swirls of observation, metaphor and paranoid theory, mixed in a somewhat linear manner and intensified by hyperlink, myth and caffeine-induced overdrive.” In the caffeinated mix are ruminations on William Blake, lost dogs, global warming, technology, the death of print journalism (all journalism, really, as McDaniel contends) and the salamander man who lives under the bed. The end result is a sort of twenty-first century Walden with Freudian puns.

Douglas McDaniel has authored the Mythville blog since 2004, sharing poetry and observations like those collected in Forty Days. He also edits the American Mythville Literary Review and has written more than ten other volumes, including Ginsberg Rolls Over, William Blake in Cyberspace, and Godz, Cars and Cannon.

You have no excuse not to read Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain, since McDaniel is giving the e-book away for free, and gives written permission for the book to be copied and shared with other readers. Contact him through his blog, on MySpace or on FaceBook.

Related Game Books

• Poetry by Thomas Kemp – Your Poet Is!


• Poetry by Thomas Kemp – Your Poet Is!


• Misquoting Jesus – Religious Book Review


• The Deviant – Book Review


• Book Review – Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O’Reilly


• Voice of Conscience – By: Behcet Kaya – Book Review

Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain - A Book Review

Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain - A Book Review

Remember the old bumper sticker that read, “Children are to be seen, and heard, and believed?” The theme of Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain by Douglas McDaniel could be described as, “The world is to be seen, and heard, and believed.”

Forty Days is neither fish nor fowl, neither political commentary nor poetry, but a semi-autobiographical blend of the two–and more–in classic Beat style. Beat, as in the style of mid-twentieth-century beatniks, as in Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Anne Waldman. This may seem a strange approach to a book subtitled “A living novel and borderline blog during the Bush years,” but it works for McDaniel. (If you’ve not yet been introduced to the Beat style of writing, you must experience it. Like jazz, it’s a unique window into the American soul.)

McDaniel describes the book thus: “…this extended narrative doesn’t dwell much on why such statements are true or prophetic. The chaotic swirls of observation, metaphor and paranoid theory, mixed in a somewhat linear manner and intensified by hyperlink, myth and caffeine-induced overdrive.” In the caffeinated mix are ruminations on William Blake, lost dogs, global warming, technology, the death of print journalism (all journalism, really, as McDaniel contends) and the salamander man who lives under the bed. The end result is a sort of twenty-first century Walden with Freudian puns.

Douglas McDaniel has authored the Mythville blog since 2004, sharing poetry and observations like those collected in Forty Days. He also edits the American Mythville Literary Review and has written more than ten other volumes, including Ginsberg Rolls Over, William Blake in Cyberspace, and Godz, Cars and Cannon.

You have no excuse not to read Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain, since McDaniel is giving the e-book away for free, and gives written permission for the book to be copied and shared with other readers. Contact him through his blog, on MySpace or on FaceBook.

Forty Days of Fire, Forty Days of Rain - A Book Review

Misquoting Jesus - Religious Book Review

This book really gets you thinking about Christianity and some of the problems within the Holy Bible. The book,” Misquoting Jesus, was written by Bart Ehrman, who is a religious studies professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a widely regarded authority on the history of the New Testament.”

Most people don’t realize that the Holy Bible has originated from individual books that were written by men. The Holy Bible wasn’t written by God, but was written by a large group of men. Often this is hard for some Christians to accept, but nevertheless is the truth.

Bart points out the mistakes that some of these men made, while copying the Bible. Before the printing press, everything needed to be hand copied and some of the people who were creating new copies, often took liberties that they shouldn’t have and quite frankly changed the information, when they should have been copying it exactly word for word.

Here’s something that Bart points out in his book, today’s Bible has gathered its information, from copies of copies of copies of copies of New Testament text. In other words, no one has the original copies of anything, written in the Bible.

These copies have been changed and rewritten and changed again, over the centuries. Nobody really knows what the original authors had actually written. This book is full of useful information about biblical scriptures and Bart does a wonderful job, providing us with factual information.

I think one of the things that I liked about this book the most, was that I haven’t heard anyone question the information located within this book. I often hear other scientists, philosophers or educated individuals, making comments about information provided in some of the books that I read, I’m not hearing anything bad about this book.

I really enjoyed the book and I hope that you pick up a copy of it and read it as soon as possible. Don’t forget that this book is also available on audio. Great book I highly recommend it.

Misquoting Jesus - Religious Book Review

Chemistry and Society

There are three significant reasons to study chemistry. First, chemistry has an important practical application in society. The development of life-saving drugs is one, and a complete list would touch upon most areas of modern technology.

Second, chemistry is an intellectual enterprise, a way of explaining our material world.

Finally, chemistry figures prominently in other fields, such as in biology, in the advancement of medicines. Chemistry in every field as a useful intellectual tool for making important decisions.

The role of chemistry in the prevailing society is of enormous benefits. We are familier with many chemicals which have become part and parcel of our daily life.

Chlorine has become an important commercial chemical. Today chlorine has turned into the main eement of producing more then one thousand chlorine compounds, which are of great importance in chemical industry, producing Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) as plastics for pipes. Other Chlorine compound are used as bleaching agent, disinfectants, solvents, pesticides, refrigerants, flame retardant and drugs.

Cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery are dengerous diseases, transmitted through impure drinking water. All such water – borne diseases are all but eliminated from most of the part of the world, when water supplies are treated with chlorine which kill pathogenic (disease-causing) organism. Chemistry plays an important role in the modern world. For example food, synthetic, plastics, medecines, soap, detergents, cometics, fertilizers, glass and explosives are the major gift of chemistry.

The applications of chemistry are much like the science itself, undergoing constant changes. chemistry is an extremely practical science of environment, providing our everyday needs of food, clothing and shelters. Using chemistry we have discovered pharmaceutical chemical that enhance potantials of harming our health or the environment. It is in our best interest as educated citizens and consumers to understand the profound effect, both positive and negative thats chemicals have on our lives.

We use fluoride compounds such as SnF2, Na2 PO4. F(Sodium fluoro phosphate) and NaF in our tooth pastes to protect and control tooth decay. It is a great beneficence of chemistry on the society.

Chemistry and Society

The Deviant - Book Review

The following quote taken from the back cover, “The Deviant is a story that will make you afraid of yourself”, could not be more truthfully stated.

Here we have a story about a writer who realizes his life is going places he doesn’t want, his talent as a writer is sadly slipping and he is losing his readers rapidly. Already, he thinks, members in the industry are snickering at his age and see him as a “has been”.

Someone is messing with his psyche and this constant battle begins to destroy the person he used to be. His incredibly high intelligence has rarely met an equal – and this connection is like a drug to him. When he meets his equal in Detective Mallory, one of the most dedicated law officers on the case of a serial killer, he is entranced.

Perhaps because I am a writer, and as such, am often isolated from the rat race in my home office, the main character spooked me quite a bit. Realistically, though, we all have that little voice, but few let it become it’s own entity. The idea that it could, and does, happen is a frightening thought. The first few chapters show the development of just such an entity in the main character. At times, I was wondering when the dialogue would end, but I was very glad I read it all, as it was necessary for the story line to be fully effective.

Michael Harris’s psychological thriller, The Deviant, is a recently released work put out by Better Be Write Publishing. This publisher has put out several books this year that I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing. If you enjoyed this book, you may also enjoy these other titles by this publisher: “Don’t Go Alone” by Margaret Lenois, or “Jill 9″ by J.D. Tynan.

ISBN#: 0-9771971-0-7
Author: Michael Harris
Publisher: Better Be Write Publishing

Other recommended reading: Island Off Stony Point – Regis Schilken & The Chaos Cycle – John Kerchack

The Deviant - Book Review

Book Review - Think Like a Billionaire by Donald Trump

When I first picked up Donald Trump’s book titled, “Trump: Think Like a Billionaire,” I thought the book would be an insightful and easy read. The book was very easy to read, but not too insightful. Trump has divided this book into 100 or so chapters of about two or three pages each which describe a different tip or aspect of a billionaire’s life.

Trump gives tips on every aspect of life, from finding an attorney, to which golf clubs to play with, to romance, to keeping up your appearances in the business world. He basically tells you how to live life like he does. Trump gives you his tips and tricks in five different chapters. Chapter one deals with real estate. Some of the topics in this chapter are how to get an appraisal and inspection on your property, how to deal with a broker and attorney, how to landscape, how to pick an interest rate and down payment, and how to find a good office.

Chapter two deals with the topic of money management. Trump gives you tips on topics such as how to divide up your portfolio, how to pinch pennies, how to save and pay for college, how to decide how much risk you should consider, and how to plan for retirement. This chapter is shorter and less informative than the real estate chapter. Donald Trump is the undisputed master of real estate buying and developing so it is expected that his real estate chapter should be the best of this book.

Chapter three is titled, “The Business of Life.” This chapter is mostly about how to present your self and make the most out of life. Some of the topics Trump covers are how to make good friends, how to love your job, how to behave in a meeting, how to dress and present yourself at work, and how to balance work and pleasure. This section gives some interesting advice from a perspective many people do not know about. For example, how many of us really know what its like to dress like a billionaire and balance life at a billion dollar business with a personal life consisting of a model wife and super mansion? This chapter more than the others, gives a glimpse into the personal life and tastes of a billionaire.

Chapter four is titled, “Slices of the Billionaire’s Life.” This chapter is basically a hodge-podge of advice and organizations Trump is involved in. He speaks on topics such as the Statue of Liberty, Columbia University’s land problems, beauty pageants, the value of audacity, the Mar-a-Lago beach club, and most importantly to Trump, hosting Saturday Night Live. The Saturday Night Live portion of the book is interesting as he takes you through what a host must endure during rehearsal, being asked to do the show, and the endless punishment the actors on Saturday Night Live delivered to Trump. This is one of the lighter and more entertaining sections of the book. Following this, Trump dedicates about thirty to forty pages to describing a week in his life. He tells the reader how he gets up early, stays at work for twelve hours, takes conference calls and attends meetings all day, and goes home to do more business and see his wife.

The final chapter is all about a former season of The Apprentice. Trump is very excited and praises his show repeatedly, and takes the reader through the logistics of his reality show. He even gives a brief background of all the upcoming contestants and why they qualified for his show and how they have all succeeded on their own outside of the show. Donald Trump will take you through a week in his life during filming of The Apprentice and how even a billionaire with overwhelming confidence can really become nervous before filming.

While reading this book the reader will realize that Donald Trump’s number one fan is Donald Trump. He has all the confidence in the world and it shows easily in his writing. Not only does he praise his business decisions, but he praises his Mar-a-Lago club repeatedly. He has a large amount of power and capability as a billionaire, and it is easy to see in this book that he truly enjoys the power. Personally, I would not recommend this book. The advice Trump provides is not unique, and when given in only two or three pages at a time, you do not get a true sense of how to take advantage of his advice. He only skims the surface of all of his topics, where all of the topics could really use at least a chapter to explain. If you are looking for a glimpse into a powerful billionaire’s life, then this book is for you. If you are looking for business advice and how to be a more successful person, you would be better off reading something else.

Book Review - Think Like a Billionaire by Donald Trump

Asimov's 40 Year-Old Essays Out of Date? Never!

Isaac Asimov needs no introduction. At least, I hope he doesn’t, even though he passed away almost 17 years ago. His science fiction books are still well known – the Positronic Robot series and the Foundation and Empire series are still in print to this day. So are some of his non-fiction works.

Unfortunately, the essays he wrote for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, which were collected into twenty-three anthologies – the first one published in 1962 and the last one in 1990, have not fared so well. They are all out of print and have been for some time.

Worse than that, they are probably no longer available at your local library, either.

And that is a pity.

The fact that they are out of print is perhaps not egregious, but the fact that libraries across the country are “de-accessioning” them, is. (I know they’re being de-accessioned because when I put together my collection of all of Asimov’s essay anthologies last year, more than half of them came from libraries. To add insult to injury, they’d charge a penny for each book, and $3.99 for postage! No Asimov book deserves to be sold for a penny!

You will ask, with the pace of the advance of science what it is, why do I believe that science books that are anywhere between 40 to 18 years old are still worth reading?

Well, to begin with, each of Asimov’s essay anthology contains 17 essays, all on a variety of topics. A handful are concerned with math, a handful with astronomy and assorted space sciences, a few with natural science, and so on. For each of these essays, Asimov either waxes historical, explaining how a certain principle was discovered and by whom, or he explains the principle itself, in simple concepts that most people can understand. (I do not claim to have grasped every principle that Asimov explains, but many that had puzzled me, he does make clear.)

Therefore, much of the information Asimov covers in any given essay is still valuable and of use today.

And what of the information that is out of date? Well – that’s worth reading too, because it is just as “historical” as the rest of the history Asimov covers in these essays.

What types of topics does Asimov discuss? Well, he spent a lot of time, in his later essays (the 1980s) trying to warn t he world about the dangers of overpopulation. He mentioned global warming in an essay in his very first anthology, way back in 1962.

Asimov was a polymath, his interests were wide and varied. He discussed chemistry, biochemistry, oceanography, astronomy, exploration, and so on. (Another thing that makes Asimov so fun to read is his habit, after about 1963, to begin his essays with a couple of paragraphs of personal anecdote, which are fun to read.)

Here’s a list of all the essay collections – collected from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. (Asimov has other essay collections – he contributed essays to a wide variety of magazines, but the ones specifically form F & SF are the best.)

Fact and Fancy 1962
View from a Height 1963
Adding a Dimension 1964
Of Time, Space & Other Things 1965
From Earth to Heaven 1966
Science, Numbers and I 1968
The Solar System and Back 1970
The Stars in Their Course 1971
Left Hand of the Electron 1972
The Tragedy of the Moon 1973
Of Matters Great & Small 1975
The Planet That Wasn’t 1976
Quasar, Quasar, Burning Bright 1977
The Road to Infinity 1979
The Sun Shines Bright 1981
Asimov on Science Fiction 1982
Counting the Eons 1983
X Stands for Unknown 1984
The Subatomic Monster 1985
Far as Human Eye Could See 1987
The Relativity of Wrong 1988
Out of Everywhere 1990
The Secret of The Universe 1990

So, the fact that libraries are getting rid of these very valuable books is a pity, but on the other hand, it means that you can accumulate them all for very little money. They will be invaluable to your library – not to mention your own knowledge of the scientific world around you, and its history.

Asimov's 40 Year-Old Essays Out of Date? Never!

Huge Money Saving Travel Tips - Secrets You Need to Know

In today’s economy, it’s nearly impossible to travel or take a family vacation. I know that I always think to myself, how do people do this? I am constantly looking online for those great travel offers and keep coming up with these crazy prices for plane tickets. Well, I lucked out one day while I was searching and came across a lot of great travel tips that can save a ton of money.

I started reading the information I had gathered and thought “this is all to good to be true and way to easy”. After going back to the website three times, curiosity got the best of me and I had to order this e Book for myself.

The author of the e Book went on to say how he was employed by a major airline company for over 16 years and would like to share some money saving tips with every one. What I read was great money saving travel information, anywhere from: How to access the cheapest flight deals from hundreds of major airline companies, How to speed up your baggage check out, How to save a ton of money on airport parking, all the way to: How to get free upgrades on car rentals and hotel rooms, even the best time to start planning your trip.

There was every aspect of travel covered in this e Book. Also the author offered 6 free bonus guides to make your travels easier and more enjoyable. There is even a money back guarantee if you do not save money every time you travel.

Huge Money Saving Travel Tips - Secrets You Need to Know

Deadly Duplicates - Book Review

When I first read the basic theme of the book, I thought seemed far-fetched. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In fact, the last 30 pages were so spell-binding everything else in my life had to wait until I finished the book. Author Margaret Lenois takes on a difficult task with this serial killer story line. Deadly Duplicates is a fiction novel about super-natural identical Siamese twins that would fit in with the genres of suspense and psychological thriller.

Separated Siamese twins Deborah and Doreen Price were the subjects of gossip for hospital staff from the moment they were born – and it was not being identical or their scars that set them apart. As young children, their mother’s mind snapped after several frightening and horrifying events including witnessing her own parents being burning alive in her childhood home. Yet she must rein over her self-imposed comatose state in time to save her girls.

Has their mother been absent so long that she cannot make a difference? Can the love of two detectives – the very men who adore them at home, but investigate the murders by day – save them? Read the book and find out!

Readers interested in finding out more about the book (ISBN#: 0976773244) the author (Margaret LeNois) need only to do an Internet search on the publisher (A Better Be Write Publisher). The book can be ordered through most online bookstores, or through retail booksellers as well. Alternatively, readers may wish to ask their library to consider bringing the book in for them.

Deadly Duplicates - Book Review

Book Review - Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O'Reilly

This book is a #1 New York Times Best Seller for a reason.

I’ve read several of the previous books by Bill O’Reilly including: The No Spin Zone, Who’s Looking Out For You, The O’Reilly Factor For Kids (I’m still a kid at heart), Culture Warrior and A Bold Fresh Piece Of Humanity. I even read O’Reilly’s only novel — Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Television and Murder. And I watch the O’Reilly Factor almost every weekday night, either at 8pm, or the repeat showing at 11pm.

So you could say I like the guy a little bit. O’Reilly is a lot like me; a right of middle person, not influenced by the pinheads who populate the far left, or the far right ends of the political spectrum. Certainly he’s not as far right as the man whose show follows his, Sean Hannity, who never gives the Democrats, or liberals even one tiny accolade, no matter how exemplary their actions may be.

In his No Spin Zone, O’Reilly tells it like it is, and woe to his guest who doesn’t answer the question he asks and goes off on a tangent, or inane talking point. I had drill sergeants in boot camp less intimidating than O’Reilly when he’s hot. Just ask Barney Frank, who O’Reilly filleted from throat to sternum, then down his flabby back.

Every evening, O’Reilly ends his show with a segment called Pinheads and Patriots. Some nights a person who had been a Pinhead in the past, now does something that elevates them to Patriot status. And vice versa.

O’Reilly begins “Pinheads and Patriots” with the definition of a pinhead by A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. “Pinhead – a simple fellow, a fool. So small a head contain but few brains.”

Then he follows with the Urban Dictionary’s version. “One who lacks the intelligence of the ‘normal’ sector of the human population; one who cannot handle the most mundane tasks due to lack of common sense and intelligence.”

Then he names names.

Patriot — The late Tony Snow, who was a Fox News anchor, then later chief spokesman for the Bush White House. Snow died after a two-year battle with cancer. O’Reilly wrote, “Tony Snow is the bravest man I ever met.” He explains why.

Pinhead — Democratic Congressman Barney Frank, who O’Reilly lambastes under the heading “The Cowardly Lion.” Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services committee, more than anyone else was responsible for the present mortgage crisis. Frank oversaw the disaster of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and even said months before the collapse that things were fine and dandy with those two mortgage giants. Yet when he appeared on the O’Reilly Factor, Frank refused to accept even one iota of blame. He said he was a “victim of economic chaos.” Pinhead for sure.

Since President Obama is on the cover facing O’Reilly, you’d think O’Reilly had him lined up for Pinhead-dom. Not true. O’Reilly points out several instances where Obama was a true Patriot. He cites the time at a Town Hall meeting on Father’s Day, when Obama said to men who father children and leave them: “Just because your father wasn’t there for you, that’s not an excuse for you to be absent, also – it is all the more reason for you to be present. You have an obligation to break the cycle and learn from those mistakes, and to rise up where your own fathers fell short and to do better than they did with your own children.”

Truly the words of a Patriot.

Before the Presidential election, Obama shunned any interview with Fox News, except with one person — Bill O’Reilly. In “Pinheads and Patriots,” O’Reilly gives us the complete transcript of his interview with Obama, which lasted about 30 minutes. Then at intervals, he explains how things Obama said in the interview either panned out, or didn’t pan out for the President. He also takes Obama to task for not admitting he was wrong about the surge in Iraq. Obama admits in the interview that the surge worked, but stops short of giving then President Bush any credit at all.

The back and forth went like this:

Obama: What I have said is – I have already said it’s (the surge) has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.

O’Reilly: Right, so why can’t you just say, “I was wrong about the surge?”

Obama hems and haws, but never once did he say “I was wrong.” And as we have found out in the 21 months of his Presidency, he may be incapable of saying he was wrong about anything, except maybe about the White Sox winning the World Series.

One of the best chapters in the book is entitled, “My All-Time Favorite P& Ps.” Without me giving away who’s-who and what’s-what, O’Reilly gives his opinion on, amongst others, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, U.S. Grant, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Robert Kennedy, both Bush’s, Cesar Chavez. John Edwards, Madonna, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and George Soros. Some of his conclusions may surprise you.

On O’Reilly’s website, the book sells for $27.95, but he throws in a nifty “Pinheads and Patriots” tote bag. I got mine at Amazon.com for less than 16 bucks, and because I have Amazon Prime, I got free shipping (but no tote bag).

“Pinheads and Patriots” is must reading for any O’Reilly fan. And even people who are not too crazy about O’Reilly, should enjoy reading this even-handed book too.

Unless you’re a Pinhead. Then there’s nothing I can do for you anyway.

Book Review - Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O'Reilly

This Body of Death by Elizabeth George

Lynley is trying his very best to not go back to the Force. He is on compassionate leave when he is called back to Scotland Yard. An unidentified young woman has been found stabbed in a cemetery. An interim department head, Isabelle Ardery, is brought in to lead the investigation and immediately her leadership styles are called into question and for good reason – she has an enormous chip on her shoulder which becomes quite apparent and quite quickly.

The case begins with the team trying to ascertain who the victim is and what her movements were. When they discover who she is, they dig very deeply into her relationships and find a myriad of different people including ex-boyfriends, psychics and a landlady. As always Lynley’s close friends, the St. James’, provide great clarity and logic as well as evidence in this case.

Simultaneously a story unfolds of a child kidnapping in another town which may or may not be connected to this case. Some pretty unsavoury characters are introduced and their horrid beginnings lead one to understand why they would behave the way they do but certainly not excuse it. One has to know right from wrong.

I have to say I didn’t like the way Ms. George wrote of Lynley’s acceptance of the new chief but it all adds to the drama. I like the give and take of his banter with Havers and the rest of his crew which was sidelined a bit in favour of Ardery.

All in all another excellent chapter in the life of Chief Supt. Lynley and Co.

This Body of Death by Elizabeth George

The Myth of Atlantis

Human cultures have always imagined a time and place in which human civilization was at its finest and highest level of achievement. Such imaginings have come in the visions of the Garden of Eden, Shangri-La, Camelot, and many others. Can it be that somewhere in time, at some distant indeterminate place human civilization reached a zenith of paradise proportions? Yes, answers Edgar Cayce, “America’s Greatest Psychic,” as reported by his son, Edgar Evans Cayce, in the latter’s fascinating and insightful book, “Edgar Cayce On Atlantis” (Under the Editorship of Hugh Lynn Cayce, NY: Warner books 1968).

Edgar Evans culls information from scores of “readings” given by his father over a period of some twenty years between 1924 and 1944. For those who are not familiar with Edgar Cayce, the Preface to the book gives a vivid snapshot. A more detailed portrait is painted in the insightful work, “The Story of Edgar Cayce: ‘There Is A River’,”by Thomas Sugrue, 1997, 1942, A.R.E. Press. Additional and updated information can be found at the Cayce Foundation website.

The Myth of Atlantis was first seared into human consciousness by Plato in the Fifth Century B.C.E. According to Evans’ report, Atlantis was said by Plato to be “a large island in the Atlantic which sank in a volcanic catastrophe some nine thousand years previously.” Edgar Cayce’s readings indicate that what Plato reported was the last phase of the destruction of Atlantis. Expanding Plato’s account, the psychic’s readings indicate that people existed on Atlantis as far back as 10 million years B.C.E. And soon was inhabited by the Sons of the Law of One – spiritual beings; and the Sons of Belial who abandoned their spiritual existence for materiality – eventually creating “things or slaves.” Evans speculates that these things may have been part human and part animal.

It was due to the conflict between the Sons of the Law of One and the Sons of Belial that the first destruction of the world and parts of Atlantis happened some time before 50,000 B.C.E. The second destruction occurred around 28,000 B.C.E. when Atlantis was broken up into several islands. The final devastation came as described by Plato when Atlantis sank to the bottom of the Atlantic and disappeared.

Atlantis was a highly advanced civilization. Evans reports that according to many of the readings of Edgar Cayce, Atlantis:

1. Had instruments similar to laser or maser;
2. Had electricity and probably atomic power;
3. Its people could travel by air; and
4. Its people could travel underwater.

Ultimately, it was the misuse of this technology which led to the demise of Atlantis and which offers the strongest argument why modern inhabitants of planet earth ought to be concerned with the rise and fall of Atlantis. Evans argues that “In the last fifty years there has been more scientific advancement than in all recorded history.” However, despite these advances, the “things” of Atlantis “have returned to haunt the world in the underprivileged, uneducated, uncared-for masses of humanity.” Like the people of Atlantis, we have amassed vast degrees of power which we have thus far chosen to use for destruction rather than for the good of all humanity.

Atlantis offers a pattern for what is happening in the world today. Whether or not one believes in reincarnation, one thing is quite clear according to Evans, “The urges,talents, and abilities of Atlanteans are manifested in individuals today.” Consequently, “the future of our nation [and the world] will probably be determined by the ideals of its citizens and their attitudes toward one another.” This statement is most prophetic, if not an indictment, given that the majority of the world’s conflicts are caused and fueled by differences of person and belief. Like our forbears, the Atlanteans, we are fighting our way along the road of destruction.

What Evans hopes will be achieved in part in writing his book is for all of the world’s people to awaken to the truth that If humanity, “on a national and individual level – can become aware of [humanity's] true nature [as a spiritual being and child of God] and … relationship to God [humanity] may be able to avoid repeating past mistakes.”

Evans writes with a flair of optimism even though his book was written in the same year as the deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, as well as the raging conflict in Vietnam. He leaves no doubt that while Atlantis offers a prophecy of doom for us if we continue on our present course, Atlantis also offers us opportunity and hope. The choice rests with us which future we will choose.

In addition to the question why we should care about Atlantis, the other question which emerges from the book is why should we believe the readings of Edgar Cayce? Evans does not shy away from this question. On the contrary, he embraces the question and offers a persuasive array of evidence to prove the reliability of other Cayce Readings and argues by analogy that if Cayce was right on so many other geological, archaeological,and other matters, then most probably Cayce is right about Atlantis.

Perhaps. Given the number of readings given by Edgar Cayce, over 2,500, the law of large numbers holds that some of the readings are bound to be proven true. Moreover, as is the case with most prophetic utterances, the truth often lies in the interpretation. Nevertheless, “Edgar Cayce on Atlantis” is well worth the cost and the time needed to read the book. In the midst of wars and rumors of wars and a faltering world economy, we need all the help we can get.

The Myth of Atlantis

Is "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle" the Ebook For You?

Written by professional bodybuilder, personal trainer and nutritionist, Tom Venuto, you can be assured that “Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle” is chock-full of information and a veritable trove of tips to help you burn fat, lose weight and get that trim and toned physique that you want.

An easy read, this e-book is only 340 pages long and well-divided into 17 bite-sized chapters. Each chapter talks about an important aspect of weight loss, so you can be sure that your interest will be sustained throughout this quick read. Both men and women, who are looking forward to improving their health and physique, can and will benefit from this book.

Point to note though, is that “Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle” focuses primarily on the role of nutrition and diet to weight loss. So you’ll find information on the differences between good and bad nutrition and will also learn how to lose or reduce your body fats without having to imbibe supplements or diet pills.

So are you more likely to succeed your weight loss and fat burning goals with this e-book than with others?

Well, one point in its favor is it that “Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle” is written by a recognized and qualified health and fitness expert, unlike many other weight loss book, e-books or programs that you can find in the market. As a result, this book is content- and information-rich, Tom’s wealth of knowledge down on paper. This could potentially lead to an information overload for some though, which would limit the effectiveness of the book for them.

It is positive though that the e-book educates you on diets and nutrition. Many people do not realize that weight loss and fat loss is, in fact, more dependent on diet and nutrition than other factors. Certainly, an understanding of how to eat healthily and get proper nutrition is a major factor that contributes to successful weight loss.

Of course, no amount of reading and tips will help you if you don’t take action and start implementing the tips into your exercise regime. Don’t be too ambitious either; start one step at a time and build up momentum. Before long, you’ll be in full swing, clocking in workouts and complementing that with a healthy diet.

Ultimately, unless you’re looking for a book that presents a magic, quick-fix, weight loss program, “Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle” is more than able to meet your needs.

Is "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle" the Ebook For You?

Bestselling Books About Living And Dealing With Cancer

Rebecca Skloot’s remarkable true story about a poor African American migrant who died from an aggressive cancer at the age of 30 in 1951 is captured in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. A sample of Henrietta’s cancerous tissue was taken without her knowledge or consent and was studied by scientists who became fascinated with their potential to survive and thrive outside of the human body. Beginning with the cure for polio, Henrietta’s cells gave way for countless breakthroughs in medicine. The Lacks family continued to live in poverty and knew not of Henrietta’s unknowing contribution until decades later. Skloot pieced together the threads of this story and shares this haunting tale with us.

The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee is a comprehensive and eloquent account of cancer’s origins, modern treatments, and preventative care. This book discusses chemotherapy, radiation, surgery that came about after a century’s worth of research, trials, and breakthroughs around the world. Against a backdrop of science and history, Mukherjee also illustrates a meditation on illness, medical ethics, and the lives of doctors and patients. This book is written with compassion for cancer families and patients alike and provides a profound account of a frighteningly complicated disease.

David Servan-Schreiber’s Anticancer, A New Way of Life draws from his own successful experiences with chemotherapy and surgery for his brain cancer. Servan-Schreiber spent months researching natural defenses against cancer after his oncologist told him there was no such thing as a lifestyle change that could prevent cancer. In his book he describes and promotes that certain environmental, dietary, and emotional adjustments can make a person reduce carcinogenic influences in their life. However, Servan-Schreiber does not promote these methods in lieu of modern methods but recommends them in addition to chemotherapy and surgery. This book is inspirational in the sense that Servan-Schreiber shares what he claims helped him beat cancer twice and cured him once and for all.

The Gerson Therapy: The Proven Nutritional Program for Cancer and Other Illnesses by Charlotte Gerson is a must-read for any health-conscious individual. The Gerson Therapy offers hope for those seeking relief from hundred of diseases that have been called incurable such as cancer, hepatitis, migraines, arthritis, heart disease, and emphysema. This therapy has treated thousands of patients over the past 60 years. The Gerson Therapy champions the healthful effects of organic fruits and vegetables and states that juicing can reverse the effects of many degenerative illnesses and save lives. By changing your body chemistry, this book promises you can beat cancer, allergies, AIDS, and lupus.

Suzanne Somers’ Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who are Curing Cancer-And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place depicts interviews with doctors who are finding success with the most innovative cancer treatments out there today. Contrary to traditional methods, these treatments build up the body instead of tearing it down. Drawing from her own experiences with cancer and her decade-long fight to save her life, Somers has emerged confident and knowledgeable about her personal choices and shares these with the world in her book. Also included are ways to prevent cancer in the first place.

Bestselling Books About Living And Dealing With Cancer

Voice of Conscience - By: Behcet Kaya - Book Review

Behcet Kaya articulately portrays the story of a man’s life from childhood to death, with a unique underlying theme of the man’s Voice of Conscience, appropriately titled. The book cover, displaying a shadow of a man perplexed in thought, unlike Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker with his chin resting on his fist of strength; rather his head held in torment holding his possibly throbbing forehead in anguish. The shadow is cast upon a black and white boardwalk, bleak and colorless, as it is broken from its continuity from where it continues into a colorful, plush, welcoming forest of changing seasons towards its destination; as one sense the omnipresence daunting the character before even starting the novel.

The symbolism crafted into this cover photo becomes self-evident as the reader is immersed into a Turkish family, the Ozcomerts, and begin to learn the customs of Ramzi Senior, his wife Nermin, son Ramzi Jr., and their beautiful daughter, Erin. All seems different to those of us raised in Western civilization, yet sustainable in the lifestyles of the people in the town of Atamkoy, Turkey, back in the 1960′s. The events of then modern day are cleverly juxtaposed against the customs and heritage of the past generations in this segment of the Muslim culture when the unthinkable happens. The entire Ozcomert family is brutally murdered by the Korucu family, with the exception of Ramzi Jr., narrowly escaping. He is forced to hide for the rest of his life from the family of killers set upon revenge. Whereas the reader up to this point was led to believe the father, Ramzi Sr. was the main character of the book, upon his death the focus cleverly shifts to his son; Ramzi Jr. as being the protagonist. Hence, revenge besets revenge, an eye for an eye, only at this point young Ramzi needs to hide and survive, and is scared and confused.

A whirlwind of events occur at a fast pace, when next the story settles down in England. Ramzi Jr., now an adult, is studying engineering and has his social structure of supportive friends. It is there while working as a waiter he meets a young lady, Megan, the daughter of a wealthy American businessman, and they fall in love. All throughout their courtship the reader senses the omnipresence of the dark secret and pain held within the mind of Ramzi, but it is unspoken. What manifests itself as a form of quietness of his personality and in his social demeanor is always in the background recognized by the reader as being his tormented soul from his past. I found this part of Behcet Kayak’s story particularly well done, as he brought the reader into tight dialogue and challenging conversations with British society, and embellished Ramzi’s character into a credible, intelligent person.

Good fortune and family development bring the couple to California, as Ramzi becomes ever so busy running a successful company and with Megan raising their two daughters. Life is totally different than how it was in Atamkoy, but Ramzi isn’t. As Behcet Kaya wrote, “For several more weeks Ozcomert did battle with himself, with his conscience, with his soul. At night he tossed and turned in bed, his head spinning. What is happening to me? I have a right to be happy, my sister had God’s given right to live and pursue happiness. The voice in his head wouldn’t go away. Kill, kill, kill. I am getting older and will depart from this world, but my soul will not rest, until I do away with the Korucu sons. Even after I die I will find them in the other world and kill them.”

As systematic as one’s life is tiered upon the foundation of their childhood, so weakens the strength of character if one isn’t true to themselves, or honest in the respect they show to their parents. Ramzi sought the strength for revenge, however in doing so destroyed all that he had become. A tragic ending is brought to this book, which in turn powerfully imprints the character into the reader’s mind.

An excellent work worthy of the accolades it has been receiving, Behcet Kaya’s Voice of Conscience will become a voice within your mind. Ramzi will haunt you when and if at times animalistic revenge creep into your thoughts, you might then say to yourself, “Is it worth it?”

Voice of Conscience - By: Behcet Kaya - Book Review

Napoleon Hill's Golden Rules - Book Review

Title and Author: Napoleon Hill’s Golden Rules by N. Hill

Synopsis of Content:
Early in his career Napoleon Hill edited and largely wrote several success magazines. The first among them were the Hill’s Golden Rule Magazine and Hill’s Magazine published between 1919 and 1923. The Napoleon Hill Foundation has compiled the best essays from those magazines into this book.

The book is made up of 12 chapters, each a lengthy essay on an important success related subject that Hill wrote about in those early days. The chapters include:

1. Your Social and Physical Heredity
2. Auto suggestion
3. Suggestion
4. The Law of Retaliation
5. The Power of Your Mind
6. How to Build Self Confidence
7. Environment and Health
8. How to Remember
9. How Mark Antony used Suggestion in winning the Roman Mob
10. Persuasion versus Force
11. The Law of Compensation
12. The Golden Rule as passkey to all achievement

Readers of Hill’s books will recognize some of these themes. Most of the discussion in these chapters is as relevant today as it was 80 years ago when he wrote it. While some of the materials may seem a bit dated and even anachronistic, most of it is sound.

The basic principles of success studied by and published by Napoleon Hill throughout the first half of the 20th century became the basis for much of the success literature to follow. He was the granddaddy of 20th century success writers. Many success speakers, authors and teachers today owe a primary influence and inspiration from Hill.

For the student of Napoleon Hill who is interested in studying the evolution of this thinking this book is invaluable. For anyone interested in time tested success principles this is a good addition to the library.

Readability/Writing Quality:
The style of writing is typical for a magazine of the 1920s. It is a bit more complex and stilted than we are accustomed to today. The publisher however has added some good sub headings and graphics to make it much more readable by today’s standards than the original may have been. Over all the quality is good.

Notes on Author:
Napoleon Hill was raised in some poverty and obscurity in remote Virginia. After trying his hand at several businesses he became a correspondent for Bob Taylor’s Magazine. Taylor was a US Senator from Tennessee and an early success guru. Taylor sent Hill to interview Andrew Carnegie, then the richest man in the world, at his mansion. What was intended as a short interview turned into a three day stay where Carnegie instructed Hill on his fundamentals of success and eventually commissioned Hill to engage upon a 20 year study of the “science of success” with the aim of writing an authoritative book on the subject. Through Carnegie’s introductions Hill was able to interview dozens of America’s most successful men of that era. Using all this information Hill then wrote several books which were published and eventually became a great success.

Related Website:
Napoleon Hill died in 1970. He has no website, but the foundation he left can be located at:

http://www.naphill.org/

Three Great Ideas You Can Use:

1. When reading self improvement materials use the R2A2 Formula – that is, Recognize, Relate, Assimilate and Apply the principles you learn going through this process for each principle or important fact you read about will enable you to make the most of what you read.

2. Accept and apply the principle that you make yourself by your own thoughts and beliefs and adjust them accordingly. Believe this principle and use it to build your own future through your own beliefs and convictions.

3. The Golden Rule may be the most powerful single element of success. Treat others as you would have them treat you – it is an age old formula for getting the most out of people and being successful. No one likes a grump – everyone likes a genuine and positive person who treats others well. Who do you think will have the most influence on others?

Publication Information: Napoleon Hill’s Golden Rules by Napoleon Hill. First written by Hill 1919-1923. ©2009 Napoleon Hill Foundation

Napoleon Hill's Golden Rules - Book Review

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

It is a very enlightening and entertaining book by Elizabeth Gilbert in which she describes her life as she undertook the journey to India, Italy and Indonesia while batting personal problems such as divorce as well as panic, weight loss and confusion. The book Eat Pray Love is also the story of how she regained her balance in life.

Italian Language Is a Pleasure

Initially she speaks about her experiences in Italy where Elizabeth Gilbert finds the local language a pleasure and she also enrolled herself in language classes to submerge her personality there. She does all the fine things in life such as having Gelati in the morning, relishing the best pizza in the country and sharing with friends the finest Sardinian wine. Elizabeth Gilbert also watched a soccer game there and found out how the local people dealt with a defeat. Expectedly, she walked out of the country depression free and she gained the weight back what she had lost earlier.

She Learnt Devotion in India

Her next destination was India where she practiced meditation at the Ashram of her Guru. She did not publish the name or location of the Guru or the Ashram deliberately, but she thanks him profusely in the beginning of the book. She expresses her Indian experiences only from the personal point of view, and she talked about the start of meditation with endless of train of thoughts moving around in her mind, which turned to silence and peaceful thoughts as she practiced meditation there for hours. She now believes the God can be found within oneself and there is no need to go out to look for him. She has told her experiences about India truthfully and beautifully.

She Found Love in Bali

It was in Bali where Elizabeth Gilbert found love, in the form of an Indian medicine man Ketut whom she told she wanted to enjoy the delights of life, but she also wanted to connect with God. He told her that she needs to have her feet firmly planted on earth, though she needs to look at the world through her heart, rather than head, then only she’ll find God. He invited her to Indonesia to teach him English and he would tell her in return everything he knew about life.

She Can Make Friends in No Time

She also talks about her negative points during the travel such as her physical appearance didn’t allow her to merge with the local people, though she could make friends with almost anybody within no time. She was not that great with the research part and also suffered from digestive difficulties.

Likable and Readable Prose

The way she writes her prose is immensely likable and readable. She displays all the good qualities in her writing – wit, intelligence and exuberance not witnessed elsewhere. Her previous work was also nonfiction and she managed to reach the finals of the National Book Award in the year 2002. In the book Eat Pray Love, she herself is the subject of the book and her trip to Italy, India and Indonesia was financed from the advance she was paid to write the book.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Book Review: Invasion by Mercedes Lackey, Steve Libbey, Cody Martin and Dennis Lee

THE AUTHORS & OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

Mercedes Lackey was one of the first writers to have an online newsgroup devoted to her writing. She has written over 100 books in the fantasy/science fiction genre and has always been one of my favorite authors.

Steve Libby is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and has worked in graphic and web design, in addition to playing guitar in a seven piece funk band called The Golden Greats. He also plays in the rock band The Scree and used to run his own independent record label.

Cody Martin is a self-described anarchist and avid gamer. He is originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, and is currently living in Florida.

Dennis Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, but has lived in Canada since before he was two years old. He has a Pharmacology degree from the University of Toronto and has a career in cell biology research. On the side, he enjoys writing about fantastical people and making them fight each other.

Lackey’s husband, Larry Dixon, edited the book and illustrated the cover.

The story was created by Mercedes Lackey & Steve Libbey.

THE PLOT

Invasion is the first book in The Secret World Chronicle series. It is based on the MMORPG City of Heroes, and started out as a series of podcasts. The story is about the metahumans, people with special powers whose appearances vary from perfectly normal to quite abnormal. The metahumans work alongside governments as super powered officers and crime fighters. Suddenly, all of the world’s governments (excluding Germany) are attacked by a force of soldiers in giant mecha robot suits that have the Third Reich’s swastika painted on them.

The story is told from the points of view of numerous characters: Bella Dawn, an EMT with touch healing power; Victoria Nagy, a romance writer and techno-mage with agoraphobia; Ramona Ferrari, a human detective; Natalya Shostakovich, a dedicated metahuman communist dubbed Red Saviour; John Murdock, a metahuman drifter on the run from authority; Red Djinni, a shapeshifter with the ability to reform his skin and who is an infamous criminal. A few chapters are also told from the view of Seraphym, a mysterious agent of the Infinite who can read all of the possible futures as well as all of the hopes and dreams of anybody she looks at.

THE WRITING

The first couple chapters of this book did not draw me in right away, but that is not unusual for me and my extremely short attention span. There is a lot of information to process as all of the characters are introduced, but for the most part it is easy to tell which character’s point of view you are reading. Rather than giving a straight-up biography of the characters, most of their traits are revealed by the ways in which they deal with the invasion and what they were doing when it happened.

In Part 1 (called The Way the World Ends), each chapter is written by all four authors. In Part 2 (The Hunt), most of the chapters are written by one or two of the authors. This made it possible for me to deduce which authors are primarily responsible for the writing of each of the main characters.

Cody Martin (along with Mercedes Lackey) is the primary writer for John Murdock and for the Seraphym. Murdock is hopeless, with no dreams or aspirations for himself, but genuinely cares for humanity and has a good heart. This is effectively illustrated in his actions and thought processes. His part of the story mostly takes place on the streets, making him one of the more relatable characters. In contrast, the Seraphym is what most people would call an “angel” sent down to aid in steering humanity toward a course that does not lead to their destruction. She is written with the perfect amount of ambiguity, clearing up some of the mystery while leaving some questions unanswered.

Dennis Lee (and Mercedes Lackey) writes for the Red Djinni. These sections of the story are riddled with stand-up style humor, and I actually laughed out loud a few times while reading. These two also write the point of view of Vickie who is the opposite of Red Djinni. They do a great job depicting Vickie’s neurotic personality, with her agoraphobia and paranoia that results from a horrific experience in her past that leaves her partially disfigured.

Steve Libbey (and, you guessed it, Mercedes Lackey) is responsible for Natalya (Red Savior). The portions told from her perspective are the most unique, due to her communist mindset and her broken English. I found her issues with the English language one of the funniest parts of the book, starting in the beginning when she is asked how her English is and she replies, “Is beink flawless with no accents.” These authors are also the main writers of Ramona, who is the only human and therefore the most realistic. Her passages are characterized with verbal and internal sarcasm, as well as a more human approach to the situations she encounters.

Mercedes Lackey (at times with Cody Martin) took care of Bella, the metahuman mind healer. The writing of Bella’s story definitely has traces of some of Lackey’s other character personalities, not just in her characteristics but in the specific words and syntax of the storytelling.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This book is fast-paced and not as unbelievably unrealistic as some science fiction. The medley of the four authors’ writing styles keeps the flow of the story interesting with the character’s contrasting and complementary personalities. It didn’t take me long to get into the story, and once I was drawn in I was fully engaged until the end. I’ll definitely be reading the next installment of the series as soon as it is released.

Book Review: Invasion by Mercedes Lackey, Steve Libbey, Cody Martin and Dennis Lee

The Challenges of Having Employees - A Book Review

Running a business isn’t easy especially with all the rules and regulations concerning employment. And if you make a mistake not only do you have to worry about regulators, but you also have to worry about lawsuits. If these things concern you, or keep you up at night, then there’s a very good book I’d like to recommend. It is a book that I have myself, and it sits in my personal business library at home. The name of the book is:

“The Employee Problem Solver” by Alexander Hamilton Institute, 1993

The authors discuss nearly every topic having to do with employment. They also explain a good bit of the history between each of the laws and regulations behind the employment issues of our time. For instance, they go into great detail on the American Disabilities Act (ADA), in case you have employees that are physically challenged.

The book discusses things like Absenteeism, Alcohol and Drugs, Religion, Employee Dating, and Defamation of Character. And if you have to deal with disciplining an employee, or one that refuses to follow directions then there is a short chapter on insubordination, one that I found very interesting, especially the advice to make full documentation, in case you wish to terminate the employee later.

Have you ever wondered what to put in Help Wanted Ads; if you say the wrong thing you could get sued. And there is a right way and a wrong way to conduct Layoffs. How about enforcing the Dress Code, or dealing with Over Time, or God forbid Sexual-Harassment. Yes, all this and more is in this book. The author also explains the OSHA Standards, and how this regulations came into existence.

You will learn about Unions, Disclaimers, Employee Manuals, Right to Work States, and what to do if there is a Fight at Work, or an employee advises you they have jury duty. If you’ve been in business long enough you have probably encountered some of all of these things. And thus, this is the perfect book for you. Please consider all this.

The Challenges of Having Employees - A Book Review

Acting Book Review - How to Win Friends and Influence People

Although Dale Carnegie wrote his book How To Win Friends and Influence People in the early part of the last century, the lessons it contains in the realm of interpersonal relations are timeless. Mr Carnegie explains that all people are the same. They all have hopes, dreams, fears, and interests. With his use of historical examples to outline his lessons, this book helps the reader to understand why people think the way they do.

While most of his examples are just plain common sense, like letting someone wronged save face, it is good to finally see these simple lessons put upon the page. If there is only one lesson that should be learned from this book in regards to show business, it is the importance the people attach to their own names. Think about it. How many people beyond the main actors and directors do you know who work on a film. Think of the electricians, the grips, the craft service people, the producers, the writers, the director of photography, the sound people, the make up artists and costume people. Imagine devoting your life to your job and not even having the actor you work daily with know your name. What an insult. And that is just one of the many lessons in this book.

How To Win Friends and Influence people is so much more than just a how to on interpersonal relationships for business. It is a guide on how to get the most out of being a human being in a world of them.

Acting Book Review - How to Win Friends and Influence People

Acting Book Review - How to Win Friends and Influence People

Although Dale Carnegie wrote his book How To Win Friends and Influence People in the early part of the last century, the lessons it contains in the realm of interpersonal relations are timeless. Mr Carnegie explains that all people are the same. They all have hopes, dreams, fears, and interests. With his use of historical examples to outline his lessons, this book helps the reader to understand why people think the way they do.

While most of his examples are just plain common sense, like letting someone wronged save face, it is good to finally see these simple lessons put upon the page. If there is only one lesson that should be learned from this book in regards to show business, it is the importance the people attach to their own names. Think about it. How many people beyond the main actors and directors do you know who work on a film. Think of the electricians, the grips, the craft service people, the producers, the writers, the director of photography, the sound people, the make up artists and costume people. Imagine devoting your life to your job and not even having the actor you work daily with know your name. What an insult. And that is just one of the many lessons in this book.

How To Win Friends and Influence people is so much more than just a how to on interpersonal relationships for business. It is a guide on how to get the most out of being a human being in a world of them.

Acting Book Review - How to Win Friends and Influence People

Book Review-The Powder Monkey

The Powder Monkey by George Galloway
1stBooks Library, 0759604770, $28.04

Every time young Michael Dooley gazes out from the family cooperage in Baltimore he witnesses history in the making; in 1812, Michael’s home country has no time to relish the fruits of its independence as it teeters on the brink of another war with Britain. Between shifts at work and the hours put in at St. Patrick’s Free School under the stern Father John Moranville, Michael absorbs the tension of the time generated by heated conversations of the cooperage’s patrons – Federalists debate with Republicans and vice-versa, while Michael’s Uncle Bob expends his energy ducking the watchful eye of the parish
priest.

For all the excitement, Michael maintains a strong focus on his father’s pending homecoming from a cruise, longing for the day his father will reveal to him the treasured family code followed by generations of Dooleys, words of wisdom design to shape his moral character and future. When Michael’s father is instead pressed into service by the British navy to fight against America, Michael’s focus shifts to the sea as he signs up to work as a “powder monkey” on the next cruise out of Baltimore. Here the treasured family code is applied to his daily life, as Michael’s adventures take him halfway across the world to aid others in the fight for personal and religious freedom.

Galloway’s enthusiasm for early American history is infectious, and with The Powder Monkey he offers a meticulously-researched story that captures beautifully the growing pains of a young country as seen through the eyes of powder monkey Michael Dooley. Don’t let the title and subject of the book fool you into thinking this book is solely targeted toward male readers, either, for Michael’s interaction with his classmate Jessica (a girl after every modern woman’s heart) make for some of the best scenes in The Powder Monkey. Any parent seeking an alternative to Harry Potter mania should consider this title for their young adult readers, as well as for themselves.

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Book Review-The Powder Monkey

Book Review-The Powder Monkey

The Powder Monkey by George Galloway
1stBooks Library, 0759604770, $28.04

Every time young Michael Dooley gazes out from the family cooperage in Baltimore he witnesses history in the making; in 1812, Michael’s home country has no time to relish the fruits of its independence as it teeters on the brink of another war with Britain. Between shifts at work and the hours put in at St. Patrick’s Free School under the stern Father John Moranville, Michael absorbs the tension of the time generated by heated conversations of the cooperage’s patrons – Federalists debate with Republicans and vice-versa, while Michael’s Uncle Bob expends his energy ducking the watchful eye of the parish
priest.

For all the excitement, Michael maintains a strong focus on his father’s pending homecoming from a cruise, longing for the day his father will reveal to him the treasured family code followed by generations of Dooleys, words of wisdom design to shape his moral character and future. When Michael’s father is instead pressed into service by the British navy to fight against America, Michael’s focus shifts to the sea as he signs up to work as a “powder monkey” on the next cruise out of Baltimore. Here the treasured family code is applied to his daily life, as Michael’s adventures take him halfway across the world to aid others in the fight for personal and religious freedom.

Galloway’s enthusiasm for early American history is infectious, and with The Powder Monkey he offers a meticulously-researched story that captures beautifully the growing pains of a young country as seen through the eyes of powder monkey Michael Dooley. Don’t let the title and subject of the book fool you into thinking this book is solely targeted toward male readers, either, for Michael’s interaction with his classmate Jessica (a girl after every modern woman’s heart) make for some of the best scenes in The Powder Monkey. Any parent seeking an alternative to Harry Potter mania should consider this title for their young adult readers, as well as for themselves.

Related Game Books

• Book Review-Awake-O Sleeper


• Book Review-Putt to Death


• Book Review-Beat Up a Cookie


• Book Review: Airtight Case


• Book Review-Seed Of The Dogwood Tree


• Book Review: Permed to Death

Book Review-The Powder Monkey

Book Review-The Powder Monkey

The Powder Monkey by George Galloway
1stBooks Library, 0759604770, $28.04

Every time young Michael Dooley gazes out from the family cooperage in Baltimore he witnesses history in the making; in 1812, Michael’s home country has no time to relish the fruits of its independence as it teeters on the brink of another war with Britain. Between shifts at work and the hours put in at St. Patrick’s Free School under the stern Father John Moranville, Michael absorbs the tension of the time generated by heated conversations of the cooperage’s patrons – Federalists debate with Republicans and vice-versa, while Michael’s Uncle Bob expends his energy ducking the watchful eye of the parish
priest.

For all the excitement, Michael maintains a strong focus on his father’s pending homecoming from a cruise, longing for the day his father will reveal to him the treasured family code followed by generations of Dooleys, words of wisdom design to shape his moral character and future. When Michael’s father is instead pressed into service by the British navy to fight against America, Michael’s focus shifts to the sea as he signs up to work as a “powder monkey” on the next cruise out of Baltimore. Here the treasured family code is applied to his daily life, as Michael’s adventures take him halfway across the world to aid others in the fight for personal and religious freedom.

Galloway’s enthusiasm for early American history is infectious, and with The Powder Monkey he offers a meticulously-researched story that captures beautifully the growing pains of a young country as seen through the eyes of powder monkey Michael Dooley. Don’t let the title and subject of the book fool you into thinking this book is solely targeted toward male readers, either, for Michael’s interaction with his classmate Jessica (a girl after every modern woman’s heart) make for some of the best scenes in The Powder Monkey. Any parent seeking an alternative to Harry Potter mania should consider this title for their young adult readers, as well as for themselves.

Related Game Books

• Book Review-Awake-O Sleeper


• Book Review-Putt to Death


• Book Review-Beat Up a Cookie


• Book Review: Airtight Case


• Book Review-Seed Of The Dogwood Tree


• Book Review: Permed to Death

Book Review-The Powder Monkey

Book Review-The Powder Monkey

The Powder Monkey by George Galloway
1stBooks Library, 0759604770, $28.04

Every time young Michael Dooley gazes out from the family cooperage in Baltimore he witnesses history in the making; in 1812, Michael’s home country has no time to relish the fruits of its independence as it teeters on the brink of another war with Britain. Between shifts at work and the hours put in at St. Patrick’s Free School under the stern Father John Moranville, Michael absorbs the tension of the time generated by heated conversations of the cooperage’s patrons – Federalists debate with Republicans and vice-versa, while Michael’s Uncle Bob expends his energy ducking the watchful eye of the parish
priest.

For all the excitement, Michael maintains a strong focus on his father’s pending homecoming from a cruise, longing for the day his father will reveal to him the treasured family code followed by generations of Dooleys, words of wisdom design to shape his moral character and future. When Michael’s father is instead pressed into service by the British navy to fight against America, Michael’s focus shifts to the sea as he signs up to work as a “powder monkey” on the next cruise out of Baltimore. Here the treasured family code is applied to his daily life, as Michael’s adventures take him halfway across the world to aid others in the fight for personal and religious freedom.

Galloway’s enthusiasm for early American history is infectious, and with The Powder Monkey he offers a meticulously-researched story that captures beautifully the growing pains of a young country as seen through the eyes of powder monkey Michael Dooley. Don’t let the title and subject of the book fool you into thinking this book is solely targeted toward male readers, either, for Michael’s interaction with his classmate Jessica (a girl after every modern woman’s heart) make for some of the best scenes in The Powder Monkey. Any parent seeking an alternative to Harry Potter mania should consider this title for their young adult readers, as well as for themselves.

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Book Review-The Powder Monkey